Toyota Motor Corp earned a big net profit increase in the April-June quarter, thanks to robust auto sales overseas and a weaker yen, the company said Friday, according to DPA. Toyota's net profit jumped 32.3 per cent in the three months to 491.54 billion yen (4.13 billion dollars), compared to the same period a year before. Group sales hit a record high, exceeding the US auto giant General Motors Corp for the first time on a first-quarter basis in terms of value. The sales soared 15.7 per cent to 6.52 trillion yen, compared to GM's sales amounting to 5.58 trillion yen. Japan's top auto maker reported its operating profit climbing 31.8 per cent to 675.43 billion yen. Toyota kept unchanged earnings projections for the full year through March 2008, with a group net profit of 1.65 trillion yen, up 0.4 per cent from the previous year, and an operating profit of 2.25 trillion yen, up 0.5 per cent. The car maker expects sales to grow 4.4 per cent to 25 trillion yen, it said. Toyota's global sales rose 3.4 per cent to 2,162,000 units in the year's first quarter through June 30, compared to a year before. Sales in North America and Europe increased while demands for fuel-efficient cars continued to grow due to high gas prices. Sales in North America grew to 762,599 units from 747,330 units, and those in Europe rose to 332,521 units from 307,382 units. Toyota's domestic sales, however, declined to 500,632 units from 543,228 units.
